“And you’re okay with that?”
“Girl, don’t judge me. You’re the one who’s sleeping in your boss's bed.”
“Hartley!” Yeah, I might have told her a little about last night. Not everything, but I definitely told her the hotel screwed up our room, that we’re bunking together, and that when he came back last night I pretended I was asleep because otherwise my horny ass would have tried to jump his bones. “You know I have no choice!”
“Oh, you have a choice, beautiful sister. You could have gotten a Lyft to my place last night, but you chose to share a bed with the hot coach instead.”
Snorting a laugh, I roll my eyes at her and shake my head, grateful that Sailor is engrossed in the Jumbotron.
My sister is right, though—she lives ten minutes from the hotel. I could have stayed with her.
But I definitely didn’t want to.
“Do you want to stay at my house tonight?” she asks, her voice light and teasing.
Pursing my lips, I toss a quick glance in her direction, but say nothing.
Laughing, she pats my thigh. “Oh, Hailey, Hailey, Hailey. That’s okay. I think Coach has it just as bad for you as you do for him.”
My eyebrows crease together. “What do you mean?”
She lifts her chin in a quick jest, nodding to where Declan’s standing at the edge of the dugout, his eyes already on us.
No, not us.
Me.
The heat in his gaze makes my pulse quicken.
“Doesn’t matter,” I tell my sister, without disconnecting from Declan’s stare. “Nothing can happen between us.”
“Does he know that?” she questions. “Because he’s practically undressing you with his eyes in front of everyone, Hails.”
Is that what that look is?
The pulse in my core aches in confirmation.
Yeah, that’s what that look is. And I’m doing the same thing to him.
Seconds later, one of the Bears’ players jogs up to him, and he’s forced to turn away, adjusting his hat as he turns to speak with him. And just like that, it feels like something’s missing without his gaze on me.
But to answer Hartley’s question, which I don’t give her the courtesy of answering out loud because I’m ready to put a pin in this conversation, Declandoesknow that nothing can happen.
He’s the one who made that abundantly clear last night.
The game seems to fly by, and every spectator in the stadium is on the edge of their seats as the Bears and the Rebels enter the bottom of the ninth, the Bears leading the game by one point. Rebel fans have started a chant to cheer on their team, only needing one run to tie up the game, two to win it.
Even Sailor’s fully engaged, munching on her cotton candy as she stands on her tiptoes, peering over the edge of the rail at her daddy.
It’s no surprise when Austin Cooper walks out onto the pitcher’s mound again, grinning from ear to ear. Excitement trickles through me, intuition telling me the Bears have this game in the bag. Austin’s one of the best pitchers in the Majors right now.
The first Rebel up to bat anticipates Austin’s pitch with enough precision to hit the ball far enough to make it to first, his strides long and forceful as he runs to the plate.
Groaning, my shoulders deflate a little as the majority of the stadium cheers.
The second batter strikes out immediately, and doesn’t even try to hide his irritation as he storms off the field and back into the dugout. It’s almost comical, but I imagine the tensions are high right now, and the Rebels’ coach must be pitching a fit that the game is this close.
The Rosemoor Rebels aren’t just rivals of the Bears, but their coach has been making passive-aggressive digs at Declan and his coaching on every interview I’ve seen. I’m not sure why he has it out for him so much, but I suspect it’s because he knows the Bears have some strong players this season.
